


Home Shores

by yzba



Category: NCIS
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-06-13
Updated: 2012-06-13
Packaged: 2017-11-07 16:24:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/433136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yzba/pseuds/yzba
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to Shallow Waters.  Back in D.C. after finally closing a ten years old cold case, Gibbs and Tony settle back into their lives, and learn what it means to be together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Military transports had never been Tony's favorite way of travelling. It was too uncomfortable, too damn noisy, and the flights tended to be endless, with multiple layovers that doubled the original travel time.

This particular flight proved to be true to form. Tired and sore, he jumped down to the tarmac, followed by a green and stumbling McGee and an unfazed Ziva.

Gibbs had, as usual, slept the whole ride, and Tony found himself envying the ability. He wasn't prone to motion sickness as McGee was, and didn't react to this kind of travelling like Kate had, but sleeping on a plane that seemed to shake from the inside out was out of his reach. For the guy who could fall asleep anywhere, anytime, it was more than a little galling. 

Exhaustion dragging him down, he still had enough energy to smirk when he saw Ziva and McGee slid into the backseat without a word. Learning that he was more than an overgrown kid and that he was, in fact, Gibbs' partner, had shaken them, and they had yet to react with anything other than cautiousness. They both threaded on eggshells, something neither had ever done before. To say that the L.A. trip had been a revelation was an understatement. Kensi alone, with her unbound faith and love in him, would have been enough to make his teammates rethink what they believed about him, and about how he treated women. Everything else, from the undercover work, to the way he'd taken control of the case without a blink had been almost too much to handle.

Tony knew the team was in for some rocky times. He knew the two new partners didn't know how to relate to each other yet, or to his own partnership with Gibbs. Everything had changed without a warning, and even the most adaptable person could have trouble dealing with something of this magnitude.

For two people who had consistently thought of him as nothing more than an average investigator, the truth was even more of a shock. Both agents had their own blind spots, and the biggest of them had always been Tony. He'd used that blindness more than once, and had bemoaned it nearly as often as he'd enjoyed it. Now that the truth was out, not the whole truth but the partial one was enough for everyone to handle, he would need to revert back to thinking patterns it had taken a long time to stamp down. With a sigh, Tony cleared his mind, settling in his seat for the ride back to the NAVY Yard.

The silence wasn't exactly comfortable in the car. Even Gibbs seemed tense, and Tony would have sworn he could feel McGee and Ziva's gazes moving from one partner to the other. McGee barely waited for Gibbs to park the sedan before he was moving out of the car.

"We're off rotation tomorrow." Tony said, barely raising his voice but knowing both junior agents would hear him.

He watched them go, all but running in their haste to be gone. He felt a long fingered hand settle on his shoulder, and he turned his head just enough to meet warm blue eyes.

"Are we that scary that they can't stand being in the same car for five more minutes?" He asked wearily.

Gibbs gave a small chuckle. "I don't think they're afraid so much as they don't know how the hell they're supposed to deal with this." The grip tightened for a moment. "Give them time."

Tony sighed, moving his head enough so that he could brush his lips over Gibbs' knuckles. "I know." He straightened up. "Let's go home."

Gibbs dropped his hand. "Yours or mine?"

"Not tired of me yet?" Tony questioned.

Gibbs snorted. "Are you crazy? All I've been thinking about these last four days was a real sized bed where we could-" He paused for a heartbeat. "spread out. I just want some damn time alone with you."

Tony smirked. He hadn't missed the pause and he liked knowing that Gibbs wanted this as much as Tony himself did. "Alright then." He thought it over. "Does yours have food?"

Gibbs nodded. "Nothing fresh, but freezer's stocked."

"Yours then, I was due for some shopping when we left."

"One or two cars?" Gibbs asked even as he led the way towards where their personal vehicles were parked side by side.

"Depends on how cautious we want to be." Tony answered.

Gibbs stopped for a moment, blue eyes holding the green ones easily. "One car it is then."

Tony slanted a look at his partner, falling into steps besides the older man. "Not hiding anything then?"

"No. We're not announcing it, but we're not denying it either. If it comes out, it comes out."

"You sure?" Tony prompted.

"Tony?"

"I know 'don't ask, don't tell' was repelled, but you're still a reservist, and we're still cops. There aren't a lot of groups more homophobic than cops and military as a whole. Caution might not be a bad idea." 

"We're not hiding."

Tony shook his head and kept quiet. A stubborn Gibbs wasn't one he wanted to confront when he was this tired. There would be time to revisit the issue later.

It took a great deal of control to keep from touching Gibbs on the ride to the older man's house, and it was with a great deal of relief that Tony got out of the truck. He followed Gibbs up the walkway, and watched, amused as the door was unlocked, something that would have been unheard of a year ago but that had since become SOP.

"Never asked why you started locking the door." He said, figuring that with the recent developments, he could afford to ask without risking to get his head ripped off.

"Lawyer kept coming in."

Tony frowned. "Hart?"

"Yeah." Gibbs gave a slight shudder that had Tony biting back a smirk.

They dropped their duffles by the door, and quickly shrugged out of their coats, hanging them neatly, and aligning their discarded boots. Kate might have believe Tony to be a slob, but the reality was that he was anything but. Military school had cured him of that a long time ago, but he'd never been the kind of kid who liked to throw his stuff around even before that.

"So, what first, boat? Food? Shower?" Tony asked.

Gibbs looked back at him, eyes already darkening to an almost unnatural blue. "I was thinking more you, me and a bed."

Tony swallowed at the intense look he was on the receiving end of. He smiled, slow and feline, and took a step closer. "Impatient Jethro?" He asked, dragging the name lazily.

"I think waiting almost ten years qualify as being patient." Gibbs growled, his fingers reaching for the back of Tony's head.

Before he could blink, Tony was being kissed hungrily. 

\---

The hunger he felt was something new. He couldn't remember ever wanting something as badly as he wanted to feel Tony against him. Los Angeles had been akin to torture in a lot of ways, but sharing a bed too narrow to hold one man, not to mention two, was at the top of the list. He'd wanted to be able to look at the younger man, to explore and discover what would make him go crazy. For years, having Tony in a bed with him, near to naked, and draped over him like a living blanket had held one of the highest spots in his fantasy list.

The reality had by far surpassed the dream. Warm, soft skin over hard muscles, sinful lips brushing over his and the softly spoken words had driven him to the edge, and it had taken a lot of control not to take advantage of it. 

But now, now he could finally have his fill.

He was already rock hard when he pushed Tony away, his breath coming in short pants, only to be echoed by the younger man in front of him. "Bedroom." He gasped out, reaching for Tony's shirt even as he backed up, towards the stairs. He used his perfect knowledge of his house to navigate them up the steps, his fingers busily undoing the shirt. He could feel Tony's hands on his hips, their hold tight as they kept him as close as possible.

The moment they'd crossed into the room, Gibbs pushed away the garment, and in one swift move whipped his own shirt away, before moving back closer to Tony.

He wrapped his fingers around Tony's biceps, being careful not to touch the still healing injury. The green eyes were already almost swallowed by the black, and golden skin was lightly flushed with arousal.

"Next time, I don't give a shit who can hear us, you hear me?" He said, using his grip to tug Tony close enough to kiss. He couldn't get enough of kissing him. That mouth, which could in turn aggravate him and make him laugh on the job could do things that should probably be illegal. The way Tony nibbled his way across his lips, tongue and teeth alternatively soothing and arousing, the questing tongue that licked its way agilely into his mouth, sent heat rushing through his body.

Quick fingers made their way down his chest and stomach, to his belt that was undone before Gibbs could realize Tony's intent.

Despite his firm hold, Tony slipped down on his knees in front of him, looking up with a filthy smile. "Wasn't there something about seeing me on my knees?" He said teasingly before leaning forward, to nibble his way across his stomach.

His whole body tightening at the sight and the implications, Gibbs could do nothing but watch. His hand moved to the back of Tony's head, already regretting the feel of soft hair against his palm. There might have been more behind the headslaps than a desire for a wake up call. Whenever the urge to thread his fingers in the silky strands had been too much, he'd find a reason for a light slap. 

And Tony had probably known it from the very first time it had happened.

Lush lips trailing down, Tony nosed his way into the coarser hair. He felt the deep inhale as Tony breathed him in, and he took a deep breath of his own. He couldn't remember an encounter more charged with meaning, not even with Shannon. He'd been young back then, and despite the deeper feelings involved in the act, sex had still been sex, even shrouded with love. This time, the long denial, and the deep knowledge of the man currently kneeling in front of him brought something he hadn't realized he'd been longing for.

He couldn't quite swallow a groan when Tony licked his way up his cock, long, firm strokes that ended just beneath the head, teasing at the sensitive spot. He fought to keep his eyes open when warmth swallowed him down, rough hands cupping his ass. He looked down again, and met Tony's eyes. They were almost too intent, the focus made more intense by the setting and by the pressure that was already building around them.

Later, he wouldn't be able to tell how long the younger man spent sucking and licking. All he knew, all he felt was the heat, and the need, pleasure coiling ever tighter in his body, while his eyes remained locked with green. He was dangerously close to the edge, his control slowly fraying, when he finally pushed Tony away. "Enough." He croaked out, barely recognizing his own voice.

"You taste good." Tony said, voice raspy and breathless, and so damn sexy it sent a new bolt of need down his spine.

He hauled up the man, until he could kiss him again, tasting himself in the process. "More."

Tony moved away so he could push his jeans down in a smooth move, displaying an angry red erection. "How do you want me?" He asked, arms held loosely away from his body, obviously finding no shame in being naked.

"Bed."

"On my knees? On my back?" He tilted his head to the side, a minute gesture somehow charged with sensuality. With the way things were going, Gibbs had the fleeting thought that he'd be lucky not to get hard every time Tony moved at work.

"Stomach." Was all Gibbs could say. He didn't think he could last long enough to prep Tony if he had to see his face, or any other part of his body for that matter.

Tony sauntered to the bed, crawling up on it until he was laying in the middle of it, legs spread apart.

Gibbs had to take a moment before he could move in closer, the sight of a naked, offered DiNozzo almost too much.

He detoured by the nightstand, grabbing the supplies he kept there more out of wishful thinking than any real need, for once thankful he had them close at hand.

He settled down by Tony's side, his fingers already reaching for the smooth expanse of silky skin.

 

"Do you have any idea how good you looked in those leathers?" He said, his fingers trailing up and down Tony's back. "Nearly drove me crazy when you showed up in them."

 

"Was the point." Tony answered with a purr, arching into the caress.

 

"I hope you brought them back with you." Gibbs said, leaning forward to kiss and lick his way down his lover's lower back, fingers ghosting to tease at the crease of his ass.

 

"I-" A light moan cut Tony's answer off when a digit rubbed its way across his entrance. "got them in my bag."

 

"Good." Gibbs answered, before pushing his finger a little in, just enough to stretch, but not enough to penetrate, his other hand flicking the lube open. He drizzled a healthy amount down the crease, before tossing the tube where he could find it easily when he needed it again. He didn't wait any longer before he pushed in to the second knuckle, and Tony bucked into the sensation, a muttered curse swallowed in a groan.

 

"Wanted to bend you over the nearest desk." The heat was already scorching him, and he only had one finger in. He couldn't even begin to imagine how good the real deal would feel. "Wanted to peel those pants off, and just fuck you right there." He added, twisting the digit in a little further.

 

"Gibbs." The whispered word was almost enough to have him say the hell with preparation, but he wasn't going to take a chance he might hurt Tony.

 

"Or maybe I'd have just licked you open for me." He said, adding a second finger, knowing he was hurrying things but that Tony seemed to be enjoying it by the way he was moving into it, arching against the bed. "Licked you until you begged me to fuck you."

 

"Stop talking." It wasn't the begging Gibbs had had in mind, but it still sent a shiver down his back. In answer, he curled his fingers, and brushed at the sweet spot he found, smiling when Tony bucked hard.

 

"Why should I? You're the one who keeps telling me I need to talk more Tony."

 

"If you don't shut up and fuck me right now, I won't be responsible for my actions." It came out half strangled, and Gibbs found himself impressed with the control being displayed.

 

"I'll fuck you when I'm good and ready, not before." He said, twisting and stretching his fingers. "I'm not hurting you."

 

Tony swore, before he pushed against Gibbs' hold on him, flipping himself over on his back. "It might have been a while since I've done this, but it doesn't mean I can't take it Jethro." He said, reaching blindly for a condom and ripping the packaging open by touch.

 

Gibbs didn't have time to answer before Tony rolled the latex down on his aching hard on, before he stuffed the lube in his hand insistently.

 

"Come on, stop playing, and get to it, damn it."

 

"What happened to patience?" Gibbs quipped even as he slicked himself up.

 

"Ten years. Slow can wait." Tony said, tugging Gibbs to him, his legs wrapping around the older man's hips. "This is only round one anyway."

 

Gibbs pushed in with a slow stroke that almost killed him. The heat surrounding him, mixed with the one in Tony's eyes combined to make control a very difficult thing to hang onto.

From then on, he lost track of everything that wasn't heat, pleasure and Tony. He could feel his climax coiling tighter and tighter, his own body strung tight with it, as he leaned down to claim Tony's lips with his own.

 

When Tony came, it was with a kind of breathless whine that pushed Gibbs faster and harder, as he chased after his own release.

 

He collapsed on the younger man, his breathing short, and his heart still racing, sweat slicking down his body. He felt Tony's arms wrap around him, one across his shoulders and one over his waist. He had just enough energy left to bury his head in Tony's neck, his lips finding the slowly calming pulse before a week of very little sleep caught up to him.


	2. Chapter 2

He woke up to a sated body, and no memories of cleaning up or even getting under the covers. Early morning light was filtering through the drapes, and Gibbs rolled over enough to realize the bed was empty besides him. He could hear faint sounds coming in from downstairs, and he pushed himself up and out of bed. He grabbed a pair of sweats from the dresser, and slipped them on, before exiting the room.

 

He entered the kitchen to find Tony standing in front of the stove, dressed in nothing but a pair of low slung, faded jeans. With a smile, he sidled up to the younger man, and stretched enough to look over his shoulder.

 

"Didn't know I had eggs."

 

"You didn't. I woke up feeling like omelets so I borrowed your truck and went shopping." Tony glanced over his shoulder. "Hope you don't mind?" He asked.

 

Gibbs pressed a kiss to the nape of Tony's neck. "If it gives me early morning breakfast? Hell no."

 

Tony gave him a soft smile, one that lit up his eyes, and Gibbs couldn't resist kissing him again, relishing in the easy intimacy of the moment. 

 

"Coffee's ready." Tony told him, reaching behind himself to stroke a hand down Gibbs' side.

 

"Thanks."

 

Reluctantly, Gibbs moved away from his partner, to where the alluring smell of coffee was calling him. "Slept well?" He asked, as he poured himself a cup, leaning against the counter until he faced Tony.

 

"Yeah." He saw the hint of a smirk flash on that mobile face, and he knew what was coming. "Once I managed to roll you away and clean you up. I was out like a light after that."

 

"Are you trying to tell me something Tony?"

 

This time, the smirk was full blown and directed at him. "Me? I wouldn't."

 

With a practiced flick of his wrist, Tony slipped an omelet into a plate, dumping bacon and sausages on it before handing it to Gibbs. "Toast's on the table." He said.

 

"Thanks." Gibbs let his fingers linger on Tony for a moment and he caught the flash of heat in green eyes.

 

The table was set for two, with a pile of toast in the middle, two kinds of jam and a jug of orange juice. Gibbs smiled, and settled into his usual chair, amused that Tony had taken the time to set everything. He had to bit back a moan at the first bite from the omelet. Fluffy and tasty, it was perfectly cooked, and Gibbs was suddenly aware that he was ravenous.

"Good?"

 

Gibbs looked up at Tony, who was looking back with an amused brow raised.

 

"Very. Forgot you could cook."

 

Tony sat down kitty corner to him, and tucked into his breakfast with economic gestures. "Not that many opportunities for me to cook these days." He bit into a piece of toast. "Or at least, not that much time to do anything more than cook for myself, and even that doesn't happen as often as it used to."

 

"Why?"

 

Tony chuckled. "Do you know how many meals a week I usually get to eat at home?"

 

Gibbs looked away from his food at that. "What?"

 

Tony shook his head. "Breakfast a couple of times a week and a few dinners, if I'm lucky."

 

"But-"

 

"Hey, between our caseload, and the paperwork I have to do, plus-" He stopped himself.

 

Gibbs frowned. "Plus what?"

 

With a careless wave of a hand, Tony brushed it off. "Doesn't matter."

 

"Tony."

 

"Leave it alone Gibbs."

 

"I thought we said no more secrets?"

 

"No secrets doesn't mean some things shouldn't be left alone."

 

Gibbs considered his partner, and the tense set of his shoulders. "You're still helping out on the other teams, aren't you?"

 

"And if I was?"

Gibbs slapped a hand down on the table. "Dammit Tony, you're on my team. They can get their own profiler."

 

Tony sneered in answer. "On your team, am I? I thought it was supposed to be _our_ team?"

 

"It is." Gibbs swallowed the anger, and the irrational jealousy. "I won't have you be tired because you put in hours for other teams."

 

"It's my time to put in however the hell I want." The answer was stone cold, and Gibbs could see the steel forming into those green eyes that had been soft and affectionate only a few minutes earlier.

 

"You're the Major Case Response Team's profiler Tony."

 

Tony chuckled harshly. "Funny how you haven't asked me to do a profile since Kate joined the team. And even after she died, you've always gone to Ducky for any psychology related question. I have to do something to keep up my skills, and I won't get to do that for your team."

 

Gibbs reared back at that, and at the resentment barely hidden in the words.

 

"I know Kate was trained as a profiler by the Secret Services and that Ducky's got his degree in forensics psychology. Me? I'm just a guy with a psych degree and a specialty in sex offenders; you don't need me to do a profile when you have other, better resources."

"You should have told me you felt like that."

 

Tony stiffened, and lowered his fork back down to his plate, depositing it almost too softly. "So we're back to what I should have told you, are we?" He shook his head a wry smile on his face. "I've accepted a long time ago that you'd stopped seeing me as a valuable asset for anything other than chasing down suspects."

 

"Tony-"

 

The younger agent looked up, and Gibbs was met with the full power of his gaze, something that didn't happen all that often but that always sent chills racing across his shoulders.

 

"Tell me you didn't get lost in our cover stories Gibbs. Tell me that after a couple of years of watching me play the part, you didn't start to see me as a screw up, instead of the guy you lured to work with you. That once you came back from Mexico, you didn't took it all for granted, shoving all the crap jobs on me." Another shake of the head, and another dark chuckle. "There's a reason I never complained about the demotion and the pay cut. You didn't treat me as your partner, I wasn't about to whine because I didn't have the title. Hell, I was lucky I was even your Senior Agent. Never quite could figure out why you kept me on, not with how you treated me."

 

"You're the best agent I've ever worked with."

 

"You can save the crap for the probies Gibbs. I didn't say a word, because I get that we have to present a united front." He waved a hand. "But it doesn't mean I agree with your assessment of the situation."

 

"You're angry." Gibbs said, unable to think of anything else to say, too stunned by the anger that was all but pouring out from Tony.

 

"Damn right I'm angry. But I don't know if I'm more pissed at you, or at me. After all, I know how easy it is to get lost in a role. You're the proof of that. You might not have been as much of a bastard when we started working together, but it didn't take long before the part felt more real than the alternative. You do a good asshole Gibbs, and you're never quite as believable as when you think I've screwed up."

 

"I-"

 

"I knew we shouldn't have started talking about this."

 

"I'm sorry Tony." Gibbs managed to say it without choking on it, but the disappointment he was reading on Tony's face hurt far worse than the words did.

 

"Yeah, well, I'm sorry if I don't mind helping out the others when they need it. I'm sorry some people actually remember that I'm a very good cop, and that I do know my way around a profile. I'm sorry you're enough of a bastard that you couldn't see what was right in front of you all this time. I'm sorry you couldn't leave this the fuck alone like I asked you to." Tony pushed away from the table, getting to his feet. He grabbed his half filled plate, and crossed to the garbage can, dumping everything in it.

 

"Tony?"

 

"Lost my appetite." Tony didn't look back as he made his way to the stairs. "I've got laundry to do and my cupboards are seriously empty. I'll see you at the office tomorrow morning."

 

It hit like a freight train.

 

He'd known he'd screwed up. That had been very clear when Tony had pretty much ripped into him a week earlier, but he hadn't realize it had gotten this bad. He was still sitting in his spot, stunned, when Tony came back downstairs, dressed in yesterday's clothes, and with his duffel in hand.

 

"Don't go." He pleaded.

 

"I need some space Gibbs." Tony didn't meet his eyes.

 

"Are we okay?" Gibbs asked, knowing he was edging damn close to begging, but for once not minding it.

 

"I don't know, are we?" Tony finally glanced at him, hurt and anger written plainly on his face.

 

The quiet snick of the door closing behind him was like thunder in Gibbs' ears.

 

\--

 

Late afternoon found Gibbs pacing his house like a caged tiger. He couldn't get Tony's eyes out of his head, or the unsaid words he'd still heard loud and clear. He'd tried going down to the basement, but he didn't have a current project, and wasn't really feeling up to starting anything new. Reading had proven to be impossible, his concentration all but shot, and even chores had held little appeal.

Instead of doing anything productive, he'd found himself going over the last ten years or so in his mind, searching for his mistakes, and realizing there were a lot more of them than he'd believed.

Finally, tired of thinking things over, and hoping Tony had had enough time to calm down, he climbed into his truck, only then stopping to wonder how Tony had left, his own car having been left back at the Yard the previous day.

Gibbs stood in front of Tony's apartment door. The last thing he wanted was to push the younger man, but he had no wish to risk this leaking out at the office in the morning. Better to talk things out now, than wait for it to blow up in his face later. One of the few things he'd gotten out of his last three marriages, was the knowledge that going to bed angry at one another was a monumentally bad idea. It wasn't something he was willing to risk with Tony, and not only because they worked together everyday.

Taking a deep breath to center himself, he knocked twice on the door, hating the harsh sound.

 

He was starting to worry that Tony wasn't home, despite the noise he could hear coming from inside the apartment, when the door finally opened, to reveal Tony, dressed in faded dark jeans and a t-shirt that probably dated back to his college years, his feet bare on the carpeted floor. He had his cell phone in hand, and appeared to be focused on his conversation, but he gave Gibbs a distracted smile as he moved aside to let the older man in.

He had to fight the desire to fidget, something he couldn't remember doing since the night Kelly was born. He'd been so damn nervous that day, that he'd all but paced a trail in the floor. He smiled softly at the sweet memory, glad that thinking about his girls was hurting less and less.

"What are you thinking about?" Tony asked and Gibbs looked up.

He hesitated a moment, but given what he was there to talk about, complete honesty was probably the way to go. "Kelly."

Tony raised a brow in question.

"Last time I paced the floor like I did today was the day she was born." He saw the flash of amusement, mixed with a healthy amount of compassion. Tony had always been of the few who'd never looked at him with pity.

"You ever thought about it?" He asked, unaware he was about to, or that he was even curious before the words slipped out.

"About what?" Tony asked.

"Kids? Getting married, a house, a dog, the perfect life, that whole deal?" Gibbs answered, sinking down into a sinfully comfortable armchair.

Tony sighed, crossing the living room to the couch, where he sprawled, facing Gibbs. From past experience, Gibbs knew that the couch was just as comfortable as the chair was, just as he knew Tony had spent more than one night sleeping in either one. "Yeah, I thought about it. I used to think I'd have a couple of kids, and maybe a dog or two running around."

"What changed your mind?" Gibbs asked, genuinely curious. Tony wasn't nearly as inept with kids as everyone thought he was, but appearing kid phobic went well with commitment issues. Knowing what he now did about Kensi and how old she'd been when they met, Tony's abilities with little girls made a lot more sense, as did his empathy for them.

"Realising that I liked boys as much as I liked girls was the start of it."

"But not the only reason." It wasn't a question, but a statement.

Tony shook his head. "Could have found a way around that."

"What then?"

"About half an hour into my first freshman year criminology class, I realized I was a cop." Tony gave a little wry smile. "That's when I knew I had a choice to make. I could either be a cop, or I could be a father, but I couldn't be both and give it everything I was."

"Why?" He thought he understood the reasoning, but he wanted to hear Tony's take on it.

"Because my own father was more often a businessman than a dad, because I knew how much it hurt Greg to be both a Marine and a father. I didn't want to be the kind of guy who's never home to his kids, who's never there for little league baseball, or dance recitals and who misses his baby's first steps. And I didn't want to be the kind of cop who hesitates to step in front of a perp wielding a knife because I had kids waiting at home."

"I know some good cops who have kids."

"I know some of those too, but they're all trying to split themselves in two. I come home after work, and I still see the latest bloody crime scene. I go back to the office at three in the morning because I've had an idea. Sometimes, I don't see the inside of my apartment, and much less my bed for days at a time. I have people who would be hurt if something happened to me, but no one who's dependant on me, either for money or for affection." Tony gave a slight shake of his head. "I knew what being a cop would mean for me, and I don't really regret it. This way, I get to save lives, lives of people who'll go out and have their own kids. It's better this way."

Gibbs stayed silent. One of his biggest regret was not being there enough for Kelly. And it was a regret far older than her death.

"I went home to my shitty apartment after that criminology class, and I called Greg-"

"Who's Greg?" Gibbs cut in.

"Kensi's dad, but he wasn't Greg to me back then, he was still Gunny Blye." Tony grinned. "So I went home, and I called him. We were close, but he was still my D.I, you know? But I trusted him more than I ever trusted my own father, and I needed to talk it over with someone who could understand." Gibbs could see the memory flash in front of Tony, in the wistful tone of his voice, and the soft slant of his smile. "I asked him if he regretted having Kensi. He told me that having her was the best thing he'd ever done, right before enrolling into the Corps. I could hear how torn he was between the two. He was a marine, all the way through, but leaving his little girl behind always shredded him open. Three days after that phone talk, he was knocking on my door. We spent all night talking. About being a man, about the Corps, about being a cop, about Kensi. I think that's the night we became family. He walked into my apartment as my D.I, and he walked out the next day as my friend. I think he was proud of me, proud of my decision. Just before he left, he told me he was glad Kensi had a big brother like me." The amazement Gibbs could still hear in Tony's voice, even after all this time, made him want to hurt something, someone.

Green eyes focused back on him. "Is that why you came? To ask me if I wanted to have kids?"

Gibbs shook his head. "I- Tony, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

Tony narrowed his eyes and cut him off. "Stop."

"What?"

"Answer this for me. Did you screw up?"

"Yes."

"Are you sorry you screwed up?"

"Yes."

"Can you swear that you'll try not to screw up again, even though you know you're bound to?"

Gibbs bit back a smile. "Yes."

A decisive nod of Tony's head. "Good."

"That's it?" Gibbs asked incredulously.

"Yeah."

"Tony, you walked out rather than talk to me."

Tony sighed softly, sprawling a little bit more in his seat. "I walked out rather than say something I'd regret, and before you could say something _you_ would regret."

"So just like that, we're good?" Gibbs couldn't believe it.

"We're both bastards Jethro. We've both made a hell of a lot of mistakes, and we've pissed each other off more than once. It's going to happen again. No need to talk it to death."

"You were angry, and hurt when you left. We're talking about this."

Tony chuckled. "Someone call the news, Gibbs wants to talk about things."

"DiNozzo." It wasn't quite a bark, but it was biting all the same. However, Tony had long since become immune to his brand of temper. That was if he'd ever really been afraid of it, which, thinking about it, Gibbs couldn't remember him ever being. From the very first meeting, Tony had displayed a remarkable lack of concern in the face of his anger.

Tony simply rolled his eyes. "Alright." Another eye roll. "I wasn't angry because you screwed up, I was angry because you didn't realize you did."

Gibbs cocked his head to the side. "What?"

"I've screwed up plenty of times, and you didn't have to tell me about it for me to know you were pissed off. I know you were angry about the Benoit case; you weren't angry that I didn't tell you about it, because you know about need-to-know crap, but you were pissed about me spending nine months pulling double duty without reliable backup. Or that whole Maddie Tyler thing. You were pissed that I jumped in and saved your ass without thinking about what it could do to my lungs. You never said a thing, but you were pissed. I knew that."

Gibbs inclined his head enough to convey his agreement. Tony was right. He _was_ still pissed about those things.

"But did you ever stop to think that maybe I was pissed about a couple of things too? Say, about you taking your job back and just dumping my stuff on my old desk? No thanks, no 'good job', nothing. Like it was your due, and I was nothing more than a place holder. Maybe I was pissed when you went off the grid, without backup, or without a badge." He shook his head. "And yeah, I was pissed as hell when you told me that I could die on the Chimera, as long as I did it quietly. Ever thought that I wasn't looking forward to discovering how being a plague survivor mixed with whatever shit they had on that ship? I can understand not telling everything to your second in command, but I thought that being your partner would give me a little more consideration than sending me into a trap _blind_. That's just a few examples, by the way, not a complete list, not by far."

"So you're not pissed about the mistakes themselves, but because I didn't realize I made them."

"I'm not asking you to apologize." Tony snorted at the thought. "I just want you to _at least_ acknowledge them."

Gibbs considered his partner. Tony was asking for very little, and he felt like a slimy bastard. "I can do that." He said, hoping the younger man would believe him, hoping it would be enough, and vowing to himself to try to do better.

He almost collapsed in relief when Tony smiled. "Good." The smile dimmed a little when Tony spoke again. "Deeks got shot."

Gibbs startled a little at the change of subject. "What?"

"When you came in? That phone call?" Tony said.

"Yeah?"

"That was Ken. Deeks got shot this morning."

"What happened?" 

"The idiot went jogging, a regular route by the way, and walked in a robbery in progress. Got shot."

"Is he okay?" Gibbs asked. He hadn't spent a lot of time with the cop, but from what he'd seen, he looked like a good man, and one who seemed to have a lot in common with Tony.

Tony sighed. "He's out of surgery, and he should be okay, but it shook Ken. She lost a partner less than a year ago."

Gibbs winced.

"Brought back a lot of bad memories." Tony let his head fall back against the couch. "She doesn't deal well with grief. First her father, then Dominic. She's not saying much, but I don't need her to draw me a picture to know she's a mess right now."

"Do you want to go back?" Gibbs asked.

Tony rolled his head enough to meet his eyes. "Nah. They'll be okay. Right now, it's not even the shooting that's bugging her the most, it's the fact that she doesn't know who's his next of kin." He raised a brow. "By the way, mine is Kensi, and my medical proxy is Ducky."

Gibbs stared at Tony. "I thought I was your proxy and next of kin."

"You were. But Kensi was always listed as next of kin. I changed my proxy to Ducky almost five years ago."

"Mexico." Gibbs whispered.

Tony nodded. "Changed it two days after you left."

"You could have switched it back."

An easy shrug answered him, but the seriousness in those green eyes told another story. "Made more sense to have a proxy who isn't out in the field with me, plus, Ducky's a doctor. If there's anyone I can trust with any medical decision, it's him. No one knows my medical history as well as he does, not even me."

"Did you think I was going to leave again?" Gibbs asked.

"Not really." Tony sighed, a hand coming up to rub at his face. "Just thought I'd trust Ducky more if the hard decisions had to be made."

Gibbs frowned.

"Do you really think you could give the 'do not resuscitate' order?" Tony said. "It might hurt Ducky to do it, but he knows my wishes."

Gibbs swallowed. "I let you down, didn't I?"

Tony stared him down. "You did." He quirked a smile. "But you're here now, and I'm pretty sure there's a game of something on the telly. Want to watch it with me?"

Unspoken was the wish to change the subject, to steer away from the serious stuff. Relieved, because the thought of Tony dying had a way of slicing him open, Gibbs nodded and got to his feet, only to settled down besides Tony on the couch.

"Got a beer?"


	3. Chapter 3

To say Tony was surprised when he found himself with an arms full of excited Goth would have been a lie. In fact, he'd been expecting it ever since that talk with Gibbs over a week ago and he knew he'd only escaped it because he'd been at the other end of the country since then.

"Tony!"

He could see laughter dancing in Gibbs' blue eyes as his partner looked on. They'd both decided to detour by Abby's lab first thing, knowing that she wouldn't forgive either of them if they didn't. They might not have told her about their resumed work partnership, but McGee had undoubtedly done it, and Tony was sure Abby had given the junior agent a good talking to, something he was hoping to avoid.

"Air, Abbs." He croaked out when her enthusiasm started endangering his breathing. For such a slender girl, she had one hell of a grip when she got started.

"Gibbs! Gibbs!" She said, releasing Tony only to bounce her way to Gibbs, where she proceeded to give him a hug just as enthusiastic as the one she'd just given Tony. This time, he was the one swallowing a chuckle.

"Breathe Abby." The former marine rolled his eyes at him, all the while trying to gently push Abby away.

"You're back!" She looked from one to the other, a blinding smile on her face. "And you're partners again! So you know, you're back to being partners, and you're back home, so you're back squared!" She said, before grabbing them both again in a three way hug.

Tony used the opportunity to brush his hand across Gibbs' ass, winking at him when he got a narrowed look over Abby's head.

"It's great, because you're good together, and I think it's awesome, and hey! You finally closed that case, and that's great too, and you're home!"

Tony finally lost his grip on his laughter, and he chuckled, giving Abby a squeeze.

"I'm happy to see you too Abby." He said, shaking his head when his comment brought him a kiss to the cheek, probably leaving behind a bright imprint.

Abby moved back, and her bright smile turned into a scowl. "You should have told me." She said, crossing her arms mulishly.

Tony could see her tapping a platform boot impatiently and he couldn't help but see an eight years old Kensi doing the exact same thing. 

"Didn't have the time. Vance told me the night before we left for L.A." Gibbs said.

"And once we got word of the case-"

"Nothing else was important."

"It's not that I didn't want to tell you-"

"You just didn't have the time." Abby shook her head, pigtails dancing wildly around her face. "At least McGee told me."

Tony glanced at Gibbs, and he caught the barest hint of a twitch at the mention of the computer geek.

"What? What's wrong?" Abby asked, and Tony wasn't surprised she'd seen the twitch, or his own look to his partner.

"Nothing." He said, inwardly cursing himself. No way was Abby going to let it go.

"Tony." She scolded, her eyes narrowed.

He sighed. "Tim and Ziva aren't taking this all that well Abby."

"Why?"

Tony rubbed a hand over his face. "I don't know. They haven't said a word yet."

She cocked her head at him, before she focused on Gibbs, an expectant look on her face.

"McGee looks like he's waiting to see how things fall, and Ziva looks like she swallowed a lemon every time she sees Tony." Gibbs caved.

"They have a problem with the thought of me being competent." Tony said sarcastically.

"But-"

Tony shifted. "You can't tell me they should know better." He said, and he didn't need to look at Gibbs to know the other man had winced at the comment. "They're not the only ones who see only what they want to see." He finished.

Abby's frown deepened. 

"Other people, people who should have remembered that I'm not a cardboard cutout, have forgotten that I've got a brain behind the clown act." He gave her a pointed look.

Green eyes widened impossibly. "Tony!"

He took a step back, his hands raised in front of him. "Don't Abby, what's done is done. Just don't go scolding them for something you've done too."

For a moment, Tony thought she would deny it, but Abby only swallowed a couple of times, before she settled down to gossip about the L.A team, a 'my puppy just got kicked' look on her face.

\---

One floor below, Ziva stood in front of the autopsy doors, trying to brace herself. She'd thought long and hard about the news they'd heard in Los Angeles, before she finally decided to ask for advice. Asking McGee had been out of the question, because she could tell he was almost as lost as she was. His decision to observe, before he decided what to think had been obvious, and she didn't want to discuss it with him. Doing so would mean having to discuss what it meant for them, and she wasn't ready to even think about it. Abby had also been an easy choice to discard, because her reaction was nothing but predictable.

Gibbs and Tony, well, a part of her desperately wanted to go to one, or both of them. Gibbs, with his steady presence, and his faith in her, faith that had been shaken more than once but that seemed to hold true, and Tony with his often surprising insight into what made people tick. But until she knew how she felt, she wouldn't go to either. She couldn't afford the risk of ruining things even more, and she had the feeling she was already on thin ice as it was.

That had pretty much left Ducky; he was a good choice, both for his knowledge of her teammates, and for his way of looking at things. Despite his tendency to ramble, he had a way of getting to the bottom line of a problem, that she'd come to depend on in her time with NCIS.

She took a breathe, before taking the final step that would have the doors open in front of her.

It was still early enough that Ducky was still sitting at the desk, his lab coat hanging near the door, doing what looked like paperwork.

"Ducky?"

The older man turned his head, and smiled at her. "Ah, Ziva. Back from the golden state, I see." He got to his feet, the consummate gentleman, even in the barren sterility of the autopsy suite.

"Yes, we came back late the day before yesterday." She answered, searching for a way to bring the discussion around to her problem.

Keen eyes observed her, seeing far more than she might have wanted him to.

"A cup of tea my dear?" Ducky offered, and Ziva wanted to slump with relief.

"Yes, please."

She took a seat while the medical examiner brewed the beverage, watching him, and gathering her thoughts.

Once she had a warm cup in her hands, Ducky gently prodded her. "Ziva?"

She breathed in and out a few times, willing her racing heart to calm down. "You have known Gibbs and Tony for a long time now." She settled on saying.

Ducky smiled slowly. "I've known Jethro for close to twenty years and Anthony for ten, ever since they respectively joined NCIS. Of course I met Tony before he came here. I did the autopsy on that body in Baltimore, the one where they met."

"Is it true? That they were partners once?" She asked, her gaze focused on her cup of tea.

"Ah, I see now." He settled deeper into his chair. "Yes, I do believe it's true. If I remember correctly, young Anthony was hired as Jethro's partner, not as his Senior Field Agent."

"How long were they working alone?"

"Maybe eighteen months. Of course, for six of those months, they had Special Agent Blackadder with them, but she wasn't a good fit for their team. So all around, it was about a year I'd say."

"What happened?" Ziva asked.

"With Vivian? Or with the boys?" He didn't wait for her to specify. "The higher powers decided that a four members team would be more beneficial than a two persons one. And as for Vivian-" He sipped from his cup contemplatively. "Vivian had reasons for being with NCIS that were not the right ones. Because her motivations were not entirely pure, she made a mistake on an undercover operation in Spain that could have proven to be fatal. She left soon after, went back to the FBI, I believe."

"How was it? Tony and Gibbs I mean."

"Explosive is the word."

She raised a brow in surprise at that.

"They were quite the pair. It was habitual for them to scream at each other in the squadroom. I have never known anyone who could hold his own with Gibbs as easily as Tony could. In fact, it was a good bit of entertainment for everyone." He chuckled.

"In Los Angeles, Gibbs told us that things were going to change. That Tony was now his partner, and that McGee and I-"

"You and young Timothy are now partners?"

She nodded.

"I see."

"I do not know what to think. I am- lost." She finally said, hating the term, but unable to find anything more fitting.

"Are you lost because the news took you by surprise, or because you don't want to be Timothy's partner?" Ducky prompted gently.

"I am not sure. Learning that Tony is not what I thought he was has- thrown me for a loop?" Ziva questioned.

"There is quite a lot that Tony hides from people. I always thought he was just a little too good at undercover work. For all his joking and womanizing, Tony has hidden depths. He is a highly intelligent young man, who is not afraid of hard work. Quite intuitive too. I never understood why Jethro keeps coming to me for psychological autopsies when he has such a talented psychologist on his team."

"That is one thing I have trouble believing."

Ducky smiled at the admission. "Take it from someone who knows him well. Tony has an innate understanding of the human psyche. He always was very good at knowing what made people tick. That is, perhaps, the secret behind his achievements in playing a role."

"I have been with NCIS for almost six years now, and I have never seen him be something other than a- manchild."

Amusement met her comment. "Really? Has he never shown more, or have you simply always seen those glimpses into his real personality as a glitch?"

Ziva grimaced.

"Despite knowing he is more than the jester he portrays, I too, have sometimes been surprised by the flashes of intelligence he displays."

She acknowledged the point with a curt nod. "Ducky. How should I be acting with them?"

"There is the crux of the problem my dear. My suggestion is to act like you usually would, while tempering any doubts you might have about Tony's personality."

"What does this mean for the team?" She asked.

"Change. Of course. The next few months will be an adjustment period for everyone I'm afraid. We will all need to get used to the way Jethro and Tony react to each other, and you and Tim will need to build a stronger relationship."

"I have worked with a lot of people in my life, but I have never had a partner. Or not as Gibbs seems to understand the word."

He smiled at her. "In my opinion, a good partnership is like a good marriage. It needs honesty and willingness on both parties to make the relationship work. You'll need to find a comfort zone, a middle ground where you both can be happy. You already respect each other, and you have been watching each other's backs for several years now. A partnership will be nothing more than a deepening of that relationship."

"I do not know if I can do it Ducky." She admitted quietly.

"My dear Ziva, of course you can. Trust in Timothy. And trust that Jethro and Tony will be there to show you the way. They have been together for a long time. Watch how they relate. I'm not saying they are the perfect model for you to mimic, but I do believe they have more to teach you."

She quirked a brow at that. "More?"

"You've been listening to what Gibbs has to say for years, just as you have followed in Tony's footsteps, have you not?"

She recoiled at the thought. "I have not-"

"Ziva, it's alright. That's just how they are, and I suspect, the reason for this whole charade of theirs. Gibbs lay down the rules, and Tony shows by example. It is how Kate and Timothy, along with Vivian and every other agent that has been assigned to them, has learned. You are no exception my dear, and you should be glad to have had such good and conscientious teachers."

Ziva looked down, turning the idea over and over in her head. Agent Blye, in Los Angeles, had told her something similar, that Tony had been as much, if not more of a teacher than Gibbs had been, but she'd refused to accept the point. However, if Ducky was also thinking along the same lines, maybe the notion wasn't a completely foolish one.

"And now my dear girl, I do believe it is time for you to get to work." Ducky tilted his head towards the clock. "You wouldn't want to be late, today of all days, would you?"

With a muttered hebrew curse, Ziva sprang to his feet. "Thank you for the tea, and for the company Ducky." She said quickly, making her way to the elevator.

"Anytime!" 

She heard the word just as the doors closed behind her. She was tempted to stop the elevator so she could have a few minutes to think things over by herself, but the last thing she wanted was to anger Gibbs more than he already was. It was clear from the way he'd been looking at them, that he didn't appreciate their reaction to Tony.

The elevator stopped on Abby's floor, and Ziva wanted to roll her eyes at her luck when Tony and Gibbs where the ones revealed by the opening doors.

"Gibbs. Tony." She said, cringing when her voice came out colder than she wanted it too.

She saw the quick exchange of glances, something she'd seen a thousand times before, but that had new meaning.

"Good morning Zee-vah." Tony said, while Gibbs just nodded at her. 

A part of her wanted to scream at them, for turning part of her world around, for making her feel so lost in this new dynamic. Ever since her first contact with them, she'd known where she stood with each of them. Her own relationship with Gibbs had been cemented by one heartbreaking act, by a death, or maybe it should be two deaths, that had changed everything. Her first meeting with Tony on the other hand, was the antithesis of that. Instant flirting, and a healthy dose of charm, she hadn't been completely immune to him, despite her outward behavior. It had to be a very strong, and special woman, who could stay unaffected by the easy charm he displayed so effortlessly.

Joining the team had changed things very little, except in exacerbating the competition with Tony. McGee, despite everything, had been more an extension of the other two, and it wasn't until months later that she really began to appreciate him for something other than being a useful tool in her game of one-upmanship with Tony.

She was a bit ashamed to realize that even after all that time, she still related to McGee mostly by their ribbing of Tony. Somehow, without her ever realizing it, the Senior Agent had become the glue that held them all together. She could remember the long and quiet days without him during his stint as Agent Afloat, how the silence had dragged at her. Working as a three persons team had been hard, partly because they had long since established their own routine, and because Tony had always carried the bulk of the work, even if she hadn't realized it before.

How quickly those lessons had been forgotten, when less than a year later, she'd all but asked Gibbs to choose between Tony and herself. She'd been so angry, and so blindingly foolish. How could she have believe she would be chosen over someone who'd been loyal and steadfast for so long? Someone who, by all accounts, had been a partner, and someone who would never had even thought to request something like that.

For a long time, she'd convinced herself that Gibbs had left her behind because she'd given him an ultimatum. It was only in a barren Somalian cell that she'd accepted the truth. Gibbs never had any cause of doubting Tony, while her own loyalties had been split for too long. Seeing Tony, strapped to that chair, his face sunburned and his lips chapped by the desert wind, his eyes glazed a little because of the drugs in his system and yet so resolute, so fierce while she herself had felt frayed and faded, was still one of the best, and one of the worst moment of her life. In some ways, it was worst than killing Ari. Instead of the shame of killing her own blood, of taking a life that had proven to be so much less than what she'd believed it to be, she had seen, in one painful moment of truth, how much she'd thrown away.

A friend, a partner, a leader, someone who was willing to be captured despite the almost certainty of her own death. A chance at a new family held by bounds of trust instead of blood.

A possible lover.

A thought that had been squashed as fast as it had appeared. She knew, without the shadow of a doubt, that Tony wasn't meant for her. She wasn't one to believe in faith and soulmates, but Tony, with all of his goofy charm and childish antics, would never be hers. 

So, without Tony as her rock, and without Gibbs has her anchor, what was left for her?

Silently, she followed them out of the elevator, back to their section of the squadroom. McGee was already seated at his desk, typing what had to be his report. She offered him a small smile when he looked up at her and he smiled back, a bit shy. Crossing to her own desk, she dumped her badge and her weapon into a drawer, a finger caressing the gold NCIS shield. Even after nearly a year as a full agent, she still couldn't help the pride at seeing it, or in wearing it.

She looked up in time to catch Tony and Gibbs have what appeared to be a silent discussion.

"I want your reports on my desk before quitting time today." Tony said, and Ziva could see the amused smirk Gibbs gave him.

"Know what's great about this?" Gibbs asked his partner.

"The fact that you don't have to pretend to be the one taking care of the paperwork anymore?" Tony answered back with his own smirk.

The smile Gibbs gave was one Ziva had rarely seen, a full blown little boy grin, full of mischief and humor. "Exactly."

Tony shook his head. "At least, it cuts out the middle man."

McGee stared at them, and Ziva bit back her own surprise. "But-"

"What, McGoo, did you really think Gibbs was the one doing that stuff? Do you have any idea how long it would take him?" He raised a sarcastic brow, his gaze on Gibbs.

"Do you really think that you being my partner will stop me from smacking you, DiNozzo?"

Tony grimaced. "Can you at least wait until the hair's grown out a bit? Until I have a little more padding?"

Gibbs snorted. "Wimp."

Ziva smiled to herself. Maybe this wouldn't be all bad. The way they were joking around was new, but it was good, lightening the tension.


	4. Chapter 4

The morning passed slowly, everyone focusing on writing their report. The quiet of the team's section was broken only a few times with requests for some detail or another, and a few good natured ribbing about Tony's leather pants. 

Gibbs' phone ringing finally broke the silence just before lunch time. Ziva looked up from her computer screen.

"On our way." Gibbs snapped his phone shut.

"We have a case?" She asked before she could stop herself. She hated paperwork. She'd hated doing it in Mossad, but doing it in a language not her own had made her discover a true hatred for report writing.

"No, we've got lunch." He said, and everyone looked at him. "Tony and I are apparently having lunch with Vance."

Tony smirked. "Think he's regretting it already?" He asked.

"If he does, he's in for a surprise." Gibbs shot back, getting to his feet.

"What about us?" McGee said.

Gibbs looked at him, his classic 'what do you think?' look on his face.

Tony smirked a little, but fell into step with Gibbs.

Ziva looked across the room. "Do you want to have lunch with me?" She asked. Maybe it was time to have a talk with her new partner.

\---

Tony looked down as he climbed the steps besides his lover. Seeing Ziva and McGee get up and head for the elevator together had him elbowing Gibbs in the ribs. "Look."

Gibbs grunted. "About damn time."

Tony shrugged. "Maybe, and maybe not. They're not all that comfortable together, and now, they have to deal with being partners. They're used to having one of us around as a buffer. It's a big change for them."

"Just tired of watching them tiptoe around us and around each other." The exasperation in Gibbs' voice made Tony chuckle.

They stepped up on the floor, and Tony asked out loud. "Any idea what this is about?"

"None."

"I mean, I don't think I've ever heard of any agents being invited to lunch with the director, not since Jenny, anyway."

Gibbs gave him a long glance. "Had lunch with her often?"

Tony smirked. "A few times." He sobered. "Mostly while I was Team Leader, and a few debriefings over food while I was undercover. Once that blew up, we kinda kept our distance."

"You know it wasn't your fault, right?"

"What, that she died? Or that the op went to hell?"

"Either."

Tony sighed. "I know. Took me a while to stop beating myself up over her dying, but she made her choice. She knew what she was likely walking into, and she chose to take only Franks as backup."

"But-"

"But maybe if things hadn't gone to hell in a handbasket with the La Grenouille op, she'd have trusted me enough to take me with her."

"If she'd done that, you probably would be dead."

"Doubting my skills?" Tony asked, only half joking.

"No, but the place was riddled with bullet holes. Mike was lucky he got out in one piece."

Shaking his head, Tony pushed open the outer door. "Guess we'll never know, and I'm tired of playing the 'what if' game."

Vance's assistant wasn't at her desk, but the door that led to the director's office was open, and Gibbs made his way inside, Tony following half a step behind.

The urge to rub his eyes and pinch himself was almost overwhelming. For a moment, Tony wondered if he was in an alternate reality, or inside some movie or book. The scene in front of him was too alien by far to be real, and he couldn't help wondering what it meant.

Vance stood at the conference table, his jacket discarded neatly to the side, shirtsleeves rolled up to his elbows. The table itself was ladden down with food containers spread around a coffee pot and a water carafe.

"Gibbs, DiNozzo." Vance called out.

Tony didn't need almost ten years of working closely together to know Gibbs was just as weirded out by this pod version of the director. It was there, written in the lines of his back, and in the slight tilt of his head. Bolstered by knowing he wasn't the only one feeling like he'd stepped right into a strange Stepford world, he made his way to the table.

"Director." 

"Leon."

"Did you know everyone in this building knows your food preferences?" Vance said. "I only had to tell my assistant you would be eating with me, and she knew what and where to order from."

 

"That's a sad commentary on how often we order in I guess." Tony quipped.

 

"What I don't understand, is why they sent forks with the food."

 

Gibbs smirked. "That's because Tony, despite all his many talents, still can't use chopsticks."

Vance raised an amused brow in Tony's direction. "Fork for DiNozzo then." He said, handing said plastic fork to Tony.

With a small shake of his head, Tony circled the table until he stood opposite Gibbs, with Vance sitting at the head of the long table, between them. He sat down, wagging the fork at his partner. "One day, I swear you'll regret that comment." He mocked glared. He tugged a container to him, and stuffed as big a forkful as he could into his mouth. Once he managed to swallow it, he offered the two men a sunny smile. "See? Can't do that with chopsticks."

Gibbs rolled his eyes, well used to Tony's antics, while Vance considered him like a specimen under a microscope, the hint of a smile on his face.

The next few minutes were silent, as all three men focused on feeding themselves, and it was only once half the food had been consumed that Vance spoke up. "Congratulations on closing several cold cases in Los Angeles."

"Thank you Director." Tony said, giving a pointed glance to his partner when Gibbs remained quiet. He didn't have a problem with Gibbs giving him the lead to establish the new pecking order, but he did object to being the team's mouthpiece.

"What did you think of the team out there?" Vance questioned and Tony couldn't stop himself from stiffening at the comment.

"Is this another transfer offer?"

Vance gave a slow smile, relaxing into his chair, eyes fixed on Tony.

"I took the last few days to do some research."

"Research sir?" Tony prompted.

"Called your old captains. Asked them some questions."

Tony winced. "Must have been a fun talk with Reynolds in Philly."

Vance's smile widened. "Actually, it was."

"There were extenuating circumstances." Tony tried to point out, but Vance waved the comment aside.

"All three of them were sorry to see you go. They all told me that you were an excellent investigator, if one with unusual methods."

Tony stared at Vance, eyes wide with surprise. "Even Reynolds?"

"Especially Reynolds."

"I all but got booted out of the department." Tony couldn't believe it. To say he'd left with mixed feelings was an understatement.

"Yes. Because you punched your partner, who just happened to be the mayor's grandson. A cop who didn't have a problem with hitting his girlfriend in front of you. A cop who, by all accounts had a shoddy hold on what he could and couldn't do as a cop." He shook his head. "You got the boot because of pressure from up high, not because you weren't good at your job. Captain Reynolds was more than happy to inform me that on a professional point of view, he was sorry to see you go. On a personal note, he wished he could have been the one to punch your partner."

Tony leaned back in his chair. "Well, damn."

"They all told me they would happily welcome you back."

Tony saw the hardening of Gibbs' shoulders, along with comment the other man wanted to make. He gave a small shake of his head, and saw the minute relaxing. From Vance's body posture, he didn't think he was getting fired. From the corner of his eye, he saw the flash of amusement in the director's face at the interaction, and he refocused on him.

"I also took a look at both of your case history. You both had a solid solve rate, but it's not until you started working together that your team got to the top of the agency. I spoke with Tom Morrow, and what he had to tell me was very interesting. Told me that partnering you two together was one of the best decisions he made." He gave a rueful smile. "I might not be your biggest fan, but I know enough to realise keeping you together as partners is the best thing for NCIS. So no, DiNozzo, I'm not transferring you, and I'm not promoting you either. Not anymore than you've already been anyway."

"If it's not a transfer, then what is it?" 

"Curiosity."

Tony thought it over carefully and exchanged a glace with Gibbs. Looked like he was the mouthpiece again. "Neither of us is exactly unbiased Director. Gibbs has known Callen for years, and I'm sure that by now you know of my personal relationship with Kensi Blye."

Vance nodded. "I'd still like your impressions."

"Callen and Sam Hanna seemed to have a pretty solid partnership. Kensi and Detective Deeks aren't quite as settled into the partnership, but they show promise. As a team, I think they'll be a pretty good one, especially once they all know each other a little more."

"What about Detective Deeks? Is it a mistake to have an LAPD officer as a liaison?"

Tony breathed in and out deeply. "I think having a liaison that's attached to another department or agency isn't always a good choice." he said, carefully not looking at Gibbs. "The chain of command tends to be a little too fuzzy, and it splits loyalty a little too much. That said, Deeks is a good guy, with good instincts and I think he'll be loyal to his partner and his teammates first. He knows who'll have his back in a shootout, and it's not NCIS or the LAPD, it's Kensi, Sam and G. He's still a little green, but he's a solid cop who will only get better." In many ways, Marty was a lot like Tony himself, and Tony knew it. Cop with a gift for undercover work and the facade of a clown. Only one more reason why he knew the guy would work well with Kensi.

Vance stayed silent, reaching for a toothpick before he glanced at Gibbs. "What do you think?"

For the first time in the discussion, Gibbs spoke up. "Tony's right. I don't suggest liaison officers for every team-" His eyes held Tony's in a silent apology for leaving him a team he had no official authority over. "- but Deeks fits the team. Callen seemed to trust him as much as Callen ever trusts someone." Tony bit back a smile when Gibbs used his best Gunnery Sergeant's stare on Vance. "You didn't call us in here just for that."

"Not only for that, no." Vance looked from one man to the other. "With the latest changes in your team's relationships, I want one of you to keep me appraised at least once a week. I want to know how this affects things, especially in regards to Agents David and McGee, as well as Scuito and Mallard."

Tony took a breathe, and stamped down the urge to keep silent. "I think you should know that-" he swallowed, and met Gibbs' gaze. "there's been some- developments on the personal front."

Vance arched an amused brow. "I guess congratulations are in order. Why tell me?"

Tony ducked his head. "You might not be our biggest fan, but you're still showing us a great deal more respect than I was expecting." He looked up. "Respect has to go both ways sir." He grimaced. "Even if it goes against every instincts I have."

Vance smiled, and it was a strangely warm sight. "I appreciate it."

Gibbs, his face a little more relaxed than it usually was around the director, cut into the discussion. "For the moment, McGee and Ziva are having a few problems accepting DiNozzo's real personality."

Tony nodded, growing more serious. "Yeah. They've been tiptoeing around me since it came out." He grimaced. "I'm not too sure how they're reacting to being partners either."

"Are they going to settle down?" Vance asked, all business again.

"I think so." He glanced at Gibbs and got a shrug in answer. "But there's no telling what would happen if our personal relationship was to get out."

Vance considered them for a long moment. "I see." The toothpick was put aside as he focused on his two agents. "You'll both be reporting directly to me, so there can't be any rumors of favoritism or that DiNozzo got pressured by his superior. It's the best I can do to protect you."

Tony nodded, surprised. It was a lot more than he'd been expecting. "Yes sir."

"You're awfully cooperative Leon." Gibbs drawled out.

"You have the highest solve rate in the agency. As a team, you have fewer unsolved cases than the rest of this office put together. I'm going to take a chance, and back you up on this, but I don't want to regret it. Do your job, do what you can to keep the rumors down if and when you need to. I'm not telling you to keep it a secret, I'm telling you to be careful. This is still a federal agency linked with the NAVY, and you have to deal with LEOs and sailors almost every day. Not everyone is going to accept the idea of gay cops."

"We know." Gibbs said, stone faced.

 

"This just means it's even more essential to keep me in the loop."

Tony nodded, speechless.

"And the other reason you wanted to see us?" Gibbs asked.

"I have a case for you."

Tony pushed aside everything, and focused back on Vance.

"For the last few months, photos have started to surface, of suspected NAVY children."

Tony quirked a brow at that. Vance reached behind him, and threw a folder down on the table. Gibbs pushed aside the discarded food containers, and flipped the file open.

 _Shit._ Tony thought. In front of him where over a dozen pictures of young boys, naked and in position no kid that age should ever know about. Not one of the boys looked to be over thirteen and Tony swallowed a growl of anger and disgust.

"All the pictures have been traced back to the same online identity but we haven't been able to discover who it is."

"What do you want us to do?" Gibbs asked, his voice tight with suppressed rage.

"McGee and Scuito can work on identifying the guy, but I want a damn confession." Vance said fiercely. "I want this guy locked for life if I can get it."

"Can the kids give us anything?" Tony questioned, his mind already planning and discarding avenues of investigation. "For that matter, are we even sure this is our jurisdiction?"

Vance glowered. "At least one of them is, but he refuses to tell us anything. You'll need to identify the others."

"Getting a confession isn't going to be easy." Tony warned.

"You're a psychologist specialized in sex crimes, and Gibbs and David are interrogators. Between the three of you, you'll find a way to get that slime to confess. Understood?"

"Yes sir."

Vance nodded. "Good, now get to work, and get me that bastard."

Tony got to his feet a second after Gibbs, and as one, they turned toward the door. "And don't forget the weekly briefings." Vance called out just before they walked out.

Gibbs raised a hand in assent.

In silent agreement, they made their way to the elevator, forgoing the stairs in favor of privacy. A few seconds later, the cage was plunged in semi darkness, and Tony leaned against the wall, Gibbs mirroring him on the opposite wall.

"Since when did the Toothpick stopped hating us?" He wondered out loud.

Gibbs chuckled. "Good question. Guess he finally realised the best way to keep us out of his hair is to just let us do our job."

" _That_ , was a lot more than just butting out of things." Tony said pointedly. "That was a show of confidence."

"Or a way to get us to hang ourselves." Gibbs said, one eyebrow arched.

"No." Tony shook his head. "Body language was screaming _respect_. Reluctantly maybe, but respect all the same. I don't know why, but he's ready to go to the wall for us."

Gibbs considered him. "You sure?"

A quick nod. "Yeah. He might not like us, but he'll do his best to back us up."

"Nice timing."

"With the way the doubting duo's been acting?" Tony asked archly.

"Might come in handy to have Leon in our corner." Gibbs shrugged.

"Let's just hope it doesn't come to that, okay? Last thing I want is for things to be screwed up enough that Vance has to step in."

"You don't mind the weekly meetings?"

"Are you kidding? As long as he just wants to know, and not stick his nose where it doesn't belong, I'd have daily meetings. God, Jethro, the director just gave us permission to come out if we want to, and he just assured us he wouldn't be splitting us up." He still couldn't quite believe it.

"I'd hold out on the coming out part." Gibbs said wryly. "That backup is only good while Vance is director."

"You think he's leaving?" Tony asked, curious.

"He's been different lately. Think he got shaken up by that bomb."

"Enough to resign?"

A quick shrug. "Don't know yet."

"Well, I'll take the support while it lasts. It's way better than the alternative."

"And hey, you finally get to use that fancy profiling training." Gibbs teased.

He grimaced in answer. "Nothing I like better than putting myself in the head of a pedophile. At best, that guy's simply distributing the pictures, and at worst-" He stopped himself, unwilling to finish the thought, not yet anyway.

A warm hand came up to cup the back of his neck, and Tony settled on hand on the older man's hip, turning his head to bury his nose in the hollow beneath Gibbs' ear. "You okay, doing this?" The older man asked quietly.

Tony breathed the already familiar scent of coffee and sawdust, and under it, the scent of Gibbs himself, a scent that managed to be both soothing and arousing at the same time.

"Couldn't I have gotten something nicer for my first profile for the team? You know, a nice murderer, or a thief. Maybe a kidnapper, or something easy like that." He wrinkled his nose, and it had nothing to do with the smell. "But no." He mocked. "I get the sicko who gets off on kids. Fun."

"Sicko?" Gibbs snickered despite the subject matter. "Is that a clinical term?"

"It should be." Tony grumbled, before kissing the skin beneath his lips, worrying it with his teeth just a little. "Come on, let's go play referee with the kiddies before I decide to jump your bones in the elevator."

\---

The ride to the little hole in the wall that somehow served some of the best Italian food McGee had ever tasted was a quiet one, and he fought the desire to fidget. The irony of eating at a restaurant Tony had shown them, while knowing the other man was about to be the subject under discussion wasn't lost on him, and finally, just as the waiter left the table after taking their order, he caved.

"Think we should do a full background check on Tony? Just to be sure he's not hiding anything else?" He said, only half teasing.

Ziva quirked a small smile. "If I did not think it would make them even angrier, I would say yes." She said.

McGee nodded, fingers playing with his glass of water. "I know." He sneaked a covert glance at his partner. "I did take a look at his personnel file."

"Really?" Ziva asked eagerly.

He cocked his head to the side. "It's not prying. That file is available to any NCIS agent who wants to see it. Besides, it's nothing we wouldn't have seen if we'd bothered to look the first time he was framed."

"And?" She prompted.

"He did double majored, but he forgot to mention he has a master's degree."

"A master's? Tony?" Ziva said incredulously.

McGee nodded energetically. "A master's. It looks like it took him a long time to do it, because he was already working when he started it. He got his degree just before he started with NCIS."

"What is this degree in?"

"Something to do with the psychology of sexual offenders. I requested his thesis but I didn't have the time to read it yet."

"I want to say I'm not surprised by the subject matter, but it strikes me as a little too- serious, for the Tony we know, yes?"

This time, McGee was the one who quirked a smile. "A week ago, I'd have agreed with you, but-"

"You are right McGee. It seems we do not know Tony as well as we thought we did."

"And yet, I can't help thinking we should have seen it."

"Why?"

"Think about it Ziva. Think about last Christmas, or about Somalia, or the Domino case." He waved his hands around as he spoke, getting into the topic at hand. "Or all the other times where he was the one who cracked a case open, even if it's because of some movie. The fact that it comes from a movie doesn't mean it won't work and we should have realised it."

"Like that time in the hotel room, the one where we were playing a married couple and he took down the big man." She said, her face lighting up as she made connections. "Or in that container, the one where we were locked." She met McGee's eyes straight on. "We have been blind, have we not?"

McGee nodded. "Yeah. Abby tried to tell me last week, but I didn't believe her."

"Last week? What happened?"

"The hostage situation, just before we left for Los Angeles? You were wrapping up those interviews?"

"Yes, yes, I remember." She prompted him.

"Well, Tony yelled at Gibbs."

Ziva looked at him, wide eyed. "What?"

"Gibbs was about to walk into the store without his gun, a vest or even a mike. Tony just yelled at him, and slammed him into the wall. I thought he was a dead man, I swear Ziva, but Gibbs just smiled at him, like he was proud and happy that Tony was basically ripping him a new one. They just looked at each other, and then Tony turned around, all calm, and it was like they'd just had a discussion. That's when Tony went in instead of Gibbs."

"Really?"

"Yup. So I asked Abby about it. She told me that before Kate, when it was just Tony and Gibbs? Well they used to have screaming matches in the squadroom. They even had a pool going on, about who would deck the other first, or if they'd jump into bed."

Ziva stayed silent for a long moment, and McGee wondered if he'd just said too much. Their waiter came back with the food, and it was only once they were alone again that the Israeli spoke again. "Tony and Gibbs? Together? As in romantically?"

McGee nodded in answer, while shoveling in spaghetti.

"Do you think it is possible?" She asked.

McGee paused. "I don't know. There was this case, back when Kate was still alive, where Tony kissed a man who looked like a woman, and he freaked."

"Really?"

"Yeah, Kate wouldn't stop teasing him about it. If you'd asked me a week ago if Tony could be gay, I'd have laughed in your face, but now-"

"Now, we know that everything we believed about him was nothing more than a role he was playing."

"Exactly. And I guess there were special circumstances for that freakout. The guy-girl, Tony kissed turned out to be Chris Pacci's killer."

"Pacci was an NCIS agent, yes?"

"I think he was Tony's friend."

"So the freakup-"

"Freakout."

She waved the correction aside. "It could have been because of what the man had done, and not because it was a man."

"Possibly."

"But what about Gibbs?" Ziva wondered.

"It's Gibbs Ziva, he's been married four times."

"Your military has 'don't ask, don't tell', so he could simply have chosen to hide it."

McGee shook his head, trying to get rid of the images that were now stuck in his mind. "Let's not think about this anymore, okay? Please? My brain's going to explode."

"Would you rather talk about-" She paused a moment, before she forged on, and McGee tried to contain his flinch. "other things?"

"About us being partners?" He asked gently.

"Yes."

He ducked his head. "Do you want to be my partner? I could always ask for a transfer." Transferring was the last thing he wanted, but if it was what it took...

"I would be happy to be your partner, but I do not know how."

He looked up in surprise. "What?"

"I have never have a partner."

"But-"

"I have been part of a team, but I have never had an assigned partner, not in the sense Gibbs and Tony seem to mean it at least."

McGee frowned. "I thought-"

"The closest thing I would call a partner would be -" She stopped herself.

"Tony?" He prompted her gently.

Ziva nodded and looked away, her face set in carefully blank lines. "But it seems I was wrong." She shook herself and refocused on him. "I would be honored to be your partner Tim. I simply do not know how to do it."

He shrugged. "Me neither. I've either worked alone or with the team. I don't have a clue how to do this."

"I think that we have a feet up on other people."

"Leg Ziva, a leg up, not a feet."

She ignored him though long habit. "We have been working together for some time now. This is not so different, is it not?"

"I guess." McGee stretched his back and shoulders a little, muscles sore as they always were after any stretch of time spent in front of a computer. "And we can always just watch how Tony and Gibbs do it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first six chapters of this have been written for over a year, but only the first two had already been posted somewhere else. I'm trying to get back into writing this, because I really like the characters, and the story I started building almost eighteen months ago. I have no idea how often I'll be able to post anything once I'm past those six chapters, because I'm having a little trouble getting back into the mindset. Hopefully, the wait won't be a long one.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The lunch discussion between Ziva and McGee was originally the beginning of this chapter, but I moved it to chap. 4 so this one could concentrate on case stuff. The case in this story was inspired by a documentary I saw just as I was wrapping up the writing of Shallow Waters, and looking for a case idea for this story. The documentary and my subsequent research hit like a freight train, both for the topic and the harsh reality it brought to life. It also felt like the perfect case for the team to sink their claws into. Something I regret from time to time as it's not fun stuff to research and to write, in fact, writing this part wiped my out. You've been warned.

He'd barely started looking into the case file, and Tony was already wishing Vance had given this to any other team. On the other hand, he knew his own expertise, and McGee's, made his team the best possible choice. He was already planning on calling a few of his old professors, and he knew he'd need to consult with Ducky on the definitive profile, but all that could wait a little longer. There were steps that needed to be taken first, and for that, he needed McGee to get the hell back from lunch, and for Abby to stop looking at him as though her puppy had just died.

The ding of the elevator doors opening had him looking up from the stomach turning photos in front of him, and he almost sighed in relief when he saw Ziva and McGee stepping into the floor, laughing at something. He was glad to see them happy, and seemingly less stressed than they'd been before they went to lunch, but he knew he was about to bring their mood down, and very quickly. He glanced at Gibbs, to find blue eyes fixed on him, with a hint of worry that he knew no one except him would be able to see. He offered a small smile, just enough to reassure his partner, but not forced enough to carry anything else.

The somber mood seemed to be apparent enough that the arriving agents' demeanor changed as soon as they crossed into the team's area. Tony was amused when they both looked from Gibbs to him, and back again, in obvious curiosity.

"We have a case." He said, and had a found thought when his teammates transformed from curious children to federal agents. He exchanged another glance with Gibbs, and had to bit back a smile when the older man inclined his head toward the elevator that led down to Abby's lab. Looked like he wouldn't have to face a sorry Goth, not yet at least.

That crossed off his list, he could concentrate on briefing these two.

"A few months ago, we got wind of very explicit pictures of minors circulating online, pictures that were rumored to be of NAVY personnel's kids. They managed to track down one of the kids, but he's refusing to talk. Director wants us to find and then to obtain a confession from whoever is taking and or circulating those pictures."

"Why is this our case?" McGee asked, sitting down at his desk.

"Because Vance thinks that between you and Abby, we can find the guy, and that between Ducky and me, we can get a profile so Ziva and Gibbs can convince this guy to confess." He summarized quickly. "Real teamwork."

"How do we know this falls into our jurisdiction?" Ziva wondered, leaning against the file cabinet besides Tony's desk.

"NAVY kids. Dependants. At least one of those kids falls into our jurisdiction." He smiled wryly. "I'm taking bets on how long it takes before Fornell shows up. Not quite his usual kind of case, but he so loves to go head to head with Gibbs that I wouldn't be surprised."

"And what do we do then?" McGee said.

"Fight to keep the case. We've got the best shot at finding this asshole. You know how Gibbs gets when a case involves children. No way in hell is he going to give this away to someone else."

"What do you need?" Ziva asked, her face set in angry lines.

Tony knew this case was bound to bring tempers to the surface; no one could stay unaffected by the pictures he'd just been looking at. "Gibbs is downstairs talking to Abby. As soon as he's back, McGee and Abby will get started on finding the dirtbag, in the meantime, I've sent you both what we have so far. Ziva, find everything you can about the known victim. McGee, take a look at what has already been done so far." His voice grew even more serious. "Pictures aren't pretty." He warned them, and he had to close his eyes when both teammates nodded at him.

"Good. Get to it." He ordered, already going back to the amassed material on his desk.

\---

"Abby!"

The pounding electronic beat drummed through his body when Gibbs stepped into the lab. "Abby!" He tried again.

She whirled around, hand already reaching for the remote control, her eyes searching for something behind him. Her face fell when she saw he was alone, and he bit back a smile at the sight.

"Hey." 

"We've got a case Abbs."

"Sure, what do you need?"

"Tony just emailed you some pictures, that you and McGee need to track down."

She turned back to her computer. "Is that all?" Her voice was a little too subdued, and Gibbs knew he had to nip this in the bud before she took the whipped puppy look too far. In his own way, Tony hated apologies even more than he did himself, undoubtedly the result of having a father who used the words too often, while never meaning them. In fact, having met the man, Gibbs thought that most of the time, Senior apologized without having any idea of what he'd done wrong, or that he'd even done something wrong in the first place.

It would explain Tony's reaction to the previous day argument. Gestures meant more than empty words with the younger man, and all the sorries in the world would never convince him that Abby truly regretted forgetting who he really was.

"You gotta stop Abbs." He said, knowing he had to have this discussion with her, because if Tony was the one to do it, it could possibly go to hell pretty quickly, which would just make both of them feel even worse in the long term.

"Stop what Gibbs?" She asked, without an ounce of guile.

He sighed. "He's not pissed."

Her face fell. "Yes he is, and he's right to be pissed Gibbs. I screwed up."

Gibbs smiled wryly at that comment; it was depressingly familiar. "Yeah, you did. But now, you know it, and you'll try not to do it again. That's all that matters with him."

"But, I gotta find a way to make him forgive me!" Abby all but wailed.

"Abby, we all screwed up, and me more than most. Those of us who knew him when he started working here, we knew. We knew he's very good at what he does, from the cop work to the undercover parts. He wanted people to underestimate him. He wanted them to think he was a fool, to push the probies to be better. He wanted them to feel like they could outshine him, and prove their worth that way. It wasn't supposed to last this long, but it did, and we forgot, we started to think that what we saw was what we got."

"It's not though." Abby put in.

"No, it's not. But we've made the mistake, and the only thing we can do, is support him."

"How Gibbs? What can I do to tell him I'm sorry?"

"Just remember the Tony you met. Remember his instincts, remember he's intelligent, and just be there for him if he needs it." He felt like a lifetime special, and he found himself amused at the utterly DiNozzo comparison.

"I didn't like him. When I met him I mean."

"I know."

"I was jealous. It felt like this kid was coming in, the golden boy, and he was already your favorite, even if you'd met him like two minutes ago." Abby said, a soft smile on her face. "Sibling rivalry, you know?"

"Yeah." Except his feelings hadn't been filial in the least.

He could remember that first meeting over a dead body clearly, like a vivid movie in his mind. The cop, standing guard over the dead, with a welcoming smile on his face, and that charm Tony could pour out so easily, but under it, that core of steel that had screamed _This case is mine._ The attraction had been a flash of heat down his spine as soon as he'd met those brilliant green eyes, fixed on him, even as he'd gone head to head with the man. Tony had only smiled brighter, and offered to share jurisdiction, with the argument that Gibbs' rookie looked like he was twenty second away from pissing himself. Which hadn't been far from the truth.

They'd had their first shouting match less than an hour later, over which M.E would do the autopsy, to the amusement of a crowd of cops and onlookers alike.

Within less than a day, he'd felt like he'd been working with Tony for years, instead of the handful of hours that had really passed.

The first meeting with Abby, had been just as explosive. She'd taken one look at the interfering cop, and had taken an instant dislike of the man. Gibbs had been amused, even back then, at the way Abby refused any friendly gestures, and at the way Tony had laid the charm on, thick.

The charm had won in the end, and Abby had welcomed him with open arms after Tony transfered to NCIS. She'd helped him find a new apartment, and had been the one to show him around D.C.

"Remember what he was like? At the beginning?" He prompted, hoping to make her understand.

Abby frowned in thought. "He was more serious, and focused too." She looked up at him. "He was funny, but it was more his way to cut through the hard stuff, wasn't it?"

Gibbs nodded.

Understanding dawned on her face. "And that's what he's been doing all this time? Playing the clown?"

"That's part of it."

"What else?" She asked, genuinely curious, but without a trace of self reproach.

He sighed. "Tony likes to be underestimated. Likes people to overlook him, because it gives him an edge. On the other hand, I can't stand to be taken for a fool." He shrugged. "It made sense back then. To have him downplay his talents, and to have me take most of the focus. It just wasn't supposed to last this long."

Abby considered his words carefully, before she nodded, squaring her shoulders. "So pictures to track."

The topic wasn't any more fun than the previous one had been.

"You need to find where they come from, and if possible, you can confirm the same photographer took all of them. Anything you can tell us."

"What kind of pictures?" Abby asked, curiosity lighting up her eyes.

"The kind I'd rather you didn't have to see." Tony cut in from the doorway, McGee half a step behind him, something that amused Gibbs greatly. It was the exact same position Tony always adopted in the field, just off his own shoulder, ready to back him up. Looked like McGee was coming around. Finally.

"I'm a big girl Tony."

"Doesn't have anything to do with this Abbs. I'd rather no one had to see these pictures." He grimaced. "Including me."

"But-"

"Abby- I've been a cop for over sixteen years, and I'm a criminal psychologist specialized in dirtbags. The pictures are going to give _me_ nightmares." Gibbs could see that Abby still wanted to argue so he raised his voice.

"It's kids."

She whirled around. "What?"

Tony's voice went cold and remote. "Kids Abby. Posed in ways kids never should be posed."

Two sets of green eyes hardened and held each other. "Child pornography?"

Tony nodded.

"Alright then. Let's find us a dirtbag Timmy."

McGee crossed the room until he stood besides Abby, still silent, and Gibbs was once again content to let his partner lead the show. Tony glanced at him and Gibbs could see the little eye roll.

"I know you want to get this guy, but I don't want you to push. Pace yourselves, take breaks." Tony said, and he raised a hand to stop Abby when she looked like she wanted to argue. "I've got the feeling no one is going to be able to let this one go easily. We need to be at our best, not obsessed about solving this. We'll get the dirtbag, but no one on this team is going to end up exhausted and miserable while we're doing it, understood?"

Gibbs bit back a smile of amusement, along with the bolt of arousal. He loved to see Tony like that. At ease, in control, and sure of himself. It was something he'd seen too rarely in the last years, and something he intended to see as often as possible in the future.

Quietly, he followed Tony back to the elevator, reaching to flick it off alsmot as soon as the doors closed behind them.

"Dirtbags? Is that how we're calling them now?" He teased.

Angry green eyes met his. "I've got other names if you'd prefer."

Gibbs frowned, and took a step forward, closing the distance between them, on hand reaching up to cup the back of Tony's neck. "You okay?" He asked and for a second, he almost expected Tony to explode. Instead, the younger man simply slumped down, forehead coming to rest against Gibbs, one arm snaking it's way around his hips. "Fuck." He whispered.

"Hey."

"Fuck." Tony murmured again. "Will you change your mind if I turn into a bear until this is done?" He asked, and Gibbs knew it was only half joking.

"I'm not going anywhere Tony. Bear, or not." He pressed his lips just over Tony's ear, his fingers tightening their hold a little.

"Good to know." Tony sighed, his nose buried in Gibbs' neck. "I hate this."

"Why?" Gibbs knew his partner well enough to know he needed to talk this out, at least a little. Tony always did on the bad cases.

"Because if I feel like this after only a couple of hours, what will I be like after a few days?"

Gibbs sighed, and moved his head back, until he could meet Tony's eyes. "This isn't an easy one, and you're the one trying to get into this guy's head. You've got the right to feel like shit."

Tony shook his head. "It's more than that." He moved away, leaning against the wall, his head thrown back, eyes fixed on the darkened ceiling. Gibbs only shuffled closer, clasping one hand on Tony's hip, and the other grabbing the railing. There was no way he was going to let Tony beat himself up over this, and he knew that along with talking it out, physical contact would help ground him. It always had, somehow reminding Tony that he wasn't alone, and that he was real.

"Doing my thesis was hell."

Gibbs frowned at the shift in subject. "What?"

"I won't bore you with the details, but it's about the psychology of sex offenders, with a focus on its relation to law enforcement."

"Okay." So far, nothing new or surprising about what he was hearing. Tony probably didn't know it, but Gibbs had actually read his thesis, years ago.

"It took me years to write it out, because of the job, which was a good thing, because I think I'd have gone crazy if I'd had to focus on nothing but that for months at a time." Tony sighed. "I chose that topic because it wasn't something I could understand. I could wrap my head around murder, torture and all of those fun subjects, but rape was beyond what I could deal with." He smiled, and Gibbs almost swore at the sight. It held too much anger and sadness, with a too large dose of self disgust. "I don't give a shit about someone's kinks or sexual orientation, as long as it's consensual."

"Tony?"

"Did you know there's a group out there who wants to have pedophilia recognize as nothing more than another sexual preference? Just like heterosexuality, and homosexuality? They want to make it legal." He chuckled. "I'd be an hypocrite if I was to say I'm against same sex relationships, but pedophilia and hebephilia? Those kids, they're fucking coerced or manipulated into it. It's fucking harmful to the kid, contrary to homosexuality, and some assholes want to make it legal?" There was so much disgust in Tony's voice, that Gibbs tightened his grip, and stepped even closer, hoping to calm him down.

"Do you want me to go to Vance? Ask for the case to be given to another team?" He offered, hating the look on his lover's face.

At the offer, Tony looked back down, and smiled sadly. "I'm the best choice for this, and I know it. But it doesn't mean I have to like it. Doesn't mean this kind of shit doesn't eat at me, but now that I've seen the pictures-" He didn't need to say more. Gibbs understood, all too well, how Tony felt. In fact, the same anger and disgust was burning through him, but he didn't have the inside knowledge Tony had, nor was he the one who would have to get into the mind of this monster.

"How can I help?" He said, instead of the half dozen other things he wanted to.

This time, Tony's smile was a little lighter, a little truer. "You already are." He said, leaning forward to place a kiss on Gibbs lips.

The timing wasn't right, but it didn't stop Gibbs from deepening the kiss, until they were both a little breathless with it. "Come home with me tonight?" He murmured against Tony's lips, unwilling to leave the other man alone when he was feeling like that.

He felt the smile more than he saw it. "I just need to swing by my place for my laptop and a few books. Might as well grab some clothes while I'm there."


End file.
